If a motor vehicle is already registered in a Member State, e.g. cross-border workers or car-rental companies are obliged to register it again in the Member State in which the motor vehicle is used. Now, the Commission proposes to determine the Member State in which a motor vehicle must be registered, to shorten the re-registration procedures and to simplify the data exchange between national registration authorities.

cepPolicyBrief

The harmonisation and simplification of the rules regarding the re-registration of motor vehicles strengthen the internal market. This is of benefit to used car dealers, as they can choose from a greater variety of offers. The mutual access of national registration authorities to their motor vehicle registers facilitates the combating of car theft, since it makes the re-registration of a stolen car in the EU much more difficult. The simplification of access formalities and the access to motor vehicles registers in other Member States reduces the administrative costs of registration authorities.